Jurisdiction and research scope
Unincorporated Merced County, California only, not Merced, Los Banos, Atwater, Livingston, Dos Palos or Gustine or any other incorporated city. Federal, state, tribal and independently managed park lands require their own rules. Current hosted code, section history Ordinance 1976 section 2 (2019), read November 6, 2026. Zone eligibility and issued Temporary Use Permit conditions control.
Research by Can I Park My RV?Official municipal sources; access limits shown belowEditorial standard
Merced County RV parking at a glance
| Location or use | What to check |
|---|---|
| Driveway / yard | Ordinary driveway parking is separate from temporary construction housing. Permitted construction housing must follow site and zone conditions. |
| Street / loading | No street-housing permission follows from section 18.60.130. Loading is separate from a Temporary Use Permit for housing. |
| Sleeping / utilities | Director-issued TUP for approved home construction/remodeling; remove within 120 days after final inspection or occupancy, whichever first. All permit and Environmental Health conditions remain necessary. |
Construction housing requires a permit
Section 18.60.130 applies in zones where the use is allowed during an approved construction project. The Director may issue a Temporary Use Permit, described as an occupancy monitoring permit, for a conventional, mobile or recreational-vehicle temporary dwelling while a new or remodeled home is being built. A building permit alone is not the RV occupancy permit.
The 120-day removal deadline
The temporary residence must be removed within 120 days after final inspection or occupancy of the newly built or remodeled dwelling, whichever occurs first. The code offers retention or conversion provisions for conventional residential structures, but these should not be treated as automatic permission to keep an RV as an ADU.
Storage facilities and ordinary parking
The construction-housing rule does not clear ordinary driveway storage or street camping. Section 18.60.160 separately allows operable RVs outside enclosed buildings at qualifying mini-storage facilities, subject to approved enclosure, surface and operating requirements. Facility approval is not permission to live in a stored vehicle or to establish a storage business on residential land.
Who to contact for your setup
Ask Merced County Planning or Code Enforcement to confirm jurisdiction, the actual parcel or road, vehicle classification, position, duration and intended use. Obtain the required road, building, electrical, plumbing or wastewater approvals before relying on a parking exception. Easements, HOA rules and leases remain separate. Start with the official rule or permit guidance.
Use the Merced County parking checker to organize the starting conditions. The checker cannot approve a parcel, a variance or an unverified exception.
Official sources reviewed November 6, 2026
- Merced County Code 18.60.130: Housing, Temporary for Construction
Official county law or guidance for the specific uses described below.
A review date records when we checked these sources. The notes above explain any use of older code editions or limits on access to the full source; an address-specific local-government determination may still be required. Read our research method.
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